Bangladeshi extradited from Brazil to US over migrant smuggling charges

A 39-year-old Bangladeshi national has been extradited from Brazil to the United States to face trial for allegedly operating a transnational network that smuggled Bangladeshi nationals into the US.

Saifullah Al-Mamun appeared before a federal court in Texas on Monday after being extradited on July 8, according to a US Department of Justice press release.

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Prosecutors allege that Al-Mamun and two fellow Bangladeshis -- Mohamad Milon Hossain and Moktar Hossain -- ran a migrant smuggling syndicate that transported Bangladeshis through South and Central America, charging each migrant up to Tk 3.5 million.

According to court documents, Al-Mamun housed migrants in São Paulo, Brazil, and coordinated their onward journey. Milon allegedly sheltered them in Tapachula, Mexico, before moving them to Monterrey, where Moktar allegedly instructed them on crossing the Rio Grande River into the United States.

Al-Mamun was arrested in São Paulo in October 2019 after investigators traced him through intelligence obtained from Milon and Moktar, who had earlier been arrested in Mexico. Statements from detained Bangladeshi asylum seekers also supported the investigation, prosecutors said.

Milon and Moktar later pleaded guilty in the United States and were each sentenced to 46 months in prison.

Al-Mamun faces multiple charges, including bringing undocumented migrants into the United States for financial gain. If convicted, he could face up to 15 years in prison.